Page 156 - A Hand book of Arabia Vol 1 (iii) Ch 4,5

DISTRICTS AND TOWNS 173

,n(l and, in its prosperity, must have had an imposing
"f gr°' nce from seaward. The 'houses are stone built and were
iarge and whitened, but are now mostly in ruins. The
,,n^'nibuildings of any importance still standing intact are the
• Qf which some have lofty minarets, the highest, in the
"" tern part of the town, rising 118 ft. and forming a conspicuous
!*A'S imark. The streets are very narrow, and in places have become
•"'passable from the debris. The country round Mocha is a sterile
plain, without fresh water ; good water is brought from Musa
{•>4 miles N.) by a conduit, and brackish water may also be obtained
from wells at Beilili and Suweis, 5 miles to the east.
Mocha no longer holds any position as a trading port. In 1824
it contained about 20,000 inhabitants ; in 1882 the population
within the walls had dwindled to 1,500; and in 1901 the number
was probably not more than 400. A floating population, composed
of Arabs, Somalis, and Jews, lives in huts outside the walls. The
total present population, within and without, probably fluctuates
between 5,000 and 8,000. The decline of Mocha, once the principal
seat of commerce in the Red Sea, seems to have, been coin«ident .
with the establishment of Aden as a British port, and to have been
affected also by the rise and development of Hodeidah. ■
:
Normally, a small garrison is stationed at Mocha to serve three
;
batteries. There is telegraphic communication with (a) San‘a, via
Ta‘izz ; (6) Hodeidah, via Zebid ; (c) Perim, overland to Sheikh
Sa'Id, thence by cable. On the site of the old south port stands
a framework iron tower, 167 ft. high, with a flashing light, visible
19 miles.

3. Loheia (Lahlyah), a fair-sized Red Sea port, is situated on the
northern side of a small shallow bay, with poor anchorage for small
craft only, and difficult of approach in consequence of reefs. It
nas dhow traffic with Jiddah, Hodeidah, and Aden, exporting
amah Aua?tities °f coffee and importing grain. Water is scarce
nnd brackish. The population is about 5,000, and seems to have .
sen in recent years, for in 1881 the number of inhabitants was
i ^ a^ only- There are several defensive kopjes at
stre the town, on one of which (150 ft. high) is a fort of some
the*)"*1 w^ere modem guns are mounted : at the end of 1913

mach' were °* light calibre—Hotchkiss, Nordenfelt, and
seemsmf intended for inland defence, but heavier ordnance
of one +• have been installed since. Loheia is used as a base
is telegraph3- ^ Asir ’ normally the garris°n is a battalion. There
communication, south with Hodeidah, and north